Purchase
The Revolution in DNA Sequencing and the New Era of Personalized Medicine
Free Press
September 2010
On Sale: September 7, 2010
352 pages
ISBN: 1416569596
EAN: 9781416569596
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
In 2000, President Bill Clinton signaled the completion of the Human Genome Project at a cost in excess of $2 billion. A decade later, the price for any of us to order our own personal genome sequenceΓ’β¬βa comprehensive map of the 3 billion letters in our DNAΓ’β¬βis rapidly and inevitably dropping to just $1,000. Dozens of men and womenΓ’β¬βscientists, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and patientsΓ’β¬βhave already been sequenced, pioneers in a bold new era of personalized genomic medicine. The $1,000 genome has long been considered the tipping point that would open the floodgates to this revolution. Do you have gene variants associated with AlzheimerΓ’β¬β’s or diabetes, heart disease or cancer? Which drugs should you consider taking for various diseases, and at what dosage? In the years to come, doctors will likely be able to tackle all of these questionsΓ’β¬βand many moreΓ’β¬βby using a computer in their offices to call up your unique genome sequence, which will become as much a part of your medical record as your blood pressure. Indeed, many experts are advocating that all newborns have a complete genome analysis done so that preventive measures and preemptive medicine can begin early in life. How has this astonishing achievement been accomplished? And what will it mean for our lives? To research the story of this unfolding revolution, critically acclaimed science writer Kevin Davies has spent the past few years traveling to the leading centers and interviewing the entrepreneurs and pioneers in the race to achieve the $1,000 genome. He vividly brings to life the extraordinary drama of this grand scientific achievement, revealing the masterful ingenuity that has transformed the process of decoding DNA and delivering the information it possesses to the public at large. Davies also profiles the future of genomic medicine and thoughtfully explores the many pressing issues raised by the tidal wave of personal genetic information. Will your privacy be protected? Will you be pressured, by insurance companies or by your employer, to get your genome sequenced? What psychological toll might there be to discovering you are at risk for certain diseases like AlzheimerΓ’β¬β’s? And will the government or the medical establishment come between you and your genome? One thing that is not in question is that we are moving swiftly into the personalized medicine era, and The $1,000 Genome is an essential guide to this brave new future.
 Media BuzzDiane Rehm Show - NPR - November 3, 2010
| 
© 2003-2026